Marcelo Mayer has had quite the 48 hours.
It all started Saturday afternoon, when the Boston Red Sox promoted the talented infield prospect from Triple-A Worcester to the big leagues. Both Worcester and Boston were playing doubleheaders that day, and between games, WooSox manager Chad Tracy called Mayer into his office to deliver the good news.
“(Tracy) said something along the lines of, ‘You’re not playing. You’ll play the second game, but not here. You’ll be playing in Fenway,’” Mayer told reporters of the moment, via The Boston Globe. “I just got the craziest rush through my whole body.”
Mayer — the No. 2 prospect in the organization behind teammate Roman Anthony and the No. 8 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline — was thrilled to get the big-league call. But he also needed to get from Worcester to Boston ASAP — and he couldn’t find his car keys.
“I lost them about three weeks ago and never cared to look for them until I needed to,” Mayer admitted to reporters at Fenway later Saturday, via MLB.com.
So, the WooSox deployed a clubhouse attendant to drive Mayer down I-90 and deliver him to Fenway in time for Game 2 of the Red Sox’ doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles. The 22-year-old arrived just before 5 p.m. ET and started the 6:35 p.m. game at third base, receiving a standing ovation from the home crowd ahead of his first major league at-bat.
Mayer struggled at the plate in his first MLB game, going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and a fielder’s choice. But he finally broke through on Sunday, collecting his first big-league hit in the series finale vs. Baltimore with a second-inning single.
Mayer didn’t stop there, lacing a double to the right-center gap in the ninth inning to finish 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Mayer played primarily shortstop in the minors but is expected to man third base for now with Alex Bregman on the injured list due to a strained quad and Trevor Story playing short. Mayer also took reps at second base in Worcester, so he could bump to the right side of the infield when Bregman returns, or perhaps take over at shortstop for Story, who is hitting .156 with 27 strikeouts in May.
Whatever position Mayer plays, the Red Sox and their fans hope the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft can provide their team a jolt as they enter a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers with a 27-28 record.
“It’s awesome to play for a city like this that cares so much about their team and is so passionate about the Red Sox and the Red Sox winning,” Mayer said Saturday, via The Globe. “It holds everybody to a higher level of play. It’s something that I’m looking forward to.”
Check out NBC Sports Boston’s full conversation with Mayer on Friday in Worcester about switching positions, his mindset prior to promotion and more:
